epicbuddieficrecs

[epicbuddieficrecs]

🩸

Well, if it doesn’t have anything to do with anything I would like Max please

Yeah! 500 for 🩸:

---

“Uh, this feels kind of silly. Talking to a stone,” Buck continues. “Maybe it is. Eddie would bring Chris to talk to Shannon, so I thought… Not that it’s… Not that I’m your… But, uh…  Whatever. I need to talk to you, I guess.”

A light breeze ruffles the aster blossoms below him.

Buck takes a deep breath. 

“You… You told me they’d need me, and you were right,” Buck says. “Everyone has a lot of needs. And… And that makes sense, right? Because losing you… I mean, it’s like taking a shot of artillery to our foundations. We can’t…”

Buck groans.

“Sorry. I don’t want you to feel guilty. I just… I don’t know how to be enough. And I don’t know to be more, because… Because I need to fall apart sometime too, right? And I can’t. And… And Eddie is waiting for me too, I think. I think he’s moving from Texas just to be here for it.”

Buck falls silent for a moment.

“I don’t know what to do, Bobby. What if Eddie ruins his life and relationship with Chris because he’s worried about me? What if Chim just… What if he gets like my parents, and can’t move forward? He’s struggling so much. Maddie’s about to have another baby. What if Ravi quits? What if they give your job to Gerrard instead of Hen? That’s the fight the department is having right now, and… And if they do, the 118, the way it was, Bobby it dies with you. Last time was bad, but this… I just know it will.”

Buck wipes his eyes, tears spilling out of them alongside his numerous worries. He inhales, steadying himself.

“You would say, only focus on the things in my control. What can I actually do? I don’t know yet, I guess. Nothing about the Gerrard shit, it seems. No one cares how terrible he is.”

Buck pauses. He listens to birds chirping. He listens to the breeze. Like somewhere, amidst all that, he might hear Bobby telling him what to do. 

He doesn’t.

“Yeah,” Buck exhales. “I guess this is what I was worried about. There aren’t really any good answers.”

He swallows. 

“Sorry. I didn’t come here just to complain. Uh, also… I guess I just wanted to say I miss you. A lot. I’ll always miss you. I wish you were still here. But I hope… I hope you’re with your kids.”

This time he doesn’t even bother trying to stem the flow of tears. What’s the point?

“Okay,” Buck exhales. “Bye… For now. I’ll, um… I’ll probably come back, if you don’t mind. Bye, Bobby.”

And then he turns and walks away, leaving the asters behind him.

[epicbuddieficrecs]

☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️

And because I can’t resist:

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁 (the story you’ve currently most excited about)

- PCA <3

30 for ☣️:

---

“Thank you. Thank you for doing that,” Ravi says. “You have no idea how much that means to hear.”

Buck inhales. His chest hurts a little. His palms start to buzz. 

“It was the least I could do,” Buck whispers. “Your parents… They’re lovely. They love you a lot.”

Ravi nods. “I almost died on them a few times as a kid.”

“Really?” Buck asks. “Cancer,” Ravi explains. 

“I didn’t know that,” Buck says quietly. It explains the way his mother spoke at the funeral. 

Ravi shrugs. “Only told Hen.”

“My brother died of leukemia when I was one,” Buck tells him. He doesn’t know why. It feels like the natural thing to say. 

“Shit,” Ravi replies. “I didn’t know that.”

“Neither did I,” Buck replies. “Until I was almost thirty. They had me to save him. I didn’t.”

Just like he didn’t save his team, down in the lab. 

---

21 for 👨‍🚒, because I am really connecting with this story:

---

He wants to show how seriously he’s taking it. 

“I know you’re going to do great,” Hen tells him kindly. “If you have half the work ethic of either of your parents, I know you will. And I’m sure you do.”

Harry smiles a little weakly. It’s nice that she’s sure. Sometimes, he thinks he is the only one who is. 

“I think you probably know that you’re coming in at a difficult time, though,” Hen continues. 

Harry nods. He knows acutely.

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Hen clicks her teeth and gives him a look.

“No need for that, Harry. Come on. We’re not that kind of station.”

Harry nods. “Yes, Captain?” 

She chuckles. “Cap or Hen is fine. And all I mean is, people are off. Some people more than others.”

[epicbuddieficrecs]

☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️ netch-co has messed with the wrong firehouse

THEY SURE HAVE

30 for☣️:

---

“Man,” Ravi exhales. “That’s tough.”

“Yeah,” Buck admits.

“Well, guess you’re fifty percent now on cancer kids saved,” Ravi says eventually.

Buck chokes on a burst of inappropriate laughter. 

“What the fuck?” He asks, still sort of laughing. 

“Sorry,” Ravi mumbles, smirking. “Morbid sense of humor on account of… You know. Life.”

Buck thinks Ravi is entitled to all the grim jokes he wants.

“There are worse coping mechanisms,” Buck replies. 

He’d know.

▪️▪️▪️

When Buck finally leaves Ravi to shower and change on his own - well enough to do so because of Buck’s healing - he finds Athena just ending a phone call.

“Who was that?” Buck asks her. 

It’s an innocent question. Not an accusatory one. He imagines she’s lining up her resources. Calling in backup. Finding the right connection to help them free Bobby, Chim, and Hen, and bring Netch-Co what’s coming to it. And maybe she is. Just not the way he expected. Or wanted, for that matter.

“Eddie,” Athena replies. 

What now? “Eddie?” Buck demands. “You told Eddie?”

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Absolutely adored both steal my sunshine and muscle memory so i cant wait for 🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎

Ah yay!!! Thank you so much!!!

63 for 🔎:

---

“Yes, Ron. You know… Retired in the Florida Keys?”

“Right,” Buck mumbles. 

There is. Come on, it's me. Spill.

“Ron is on his fourth wife. Fourth! Can you believe that?”

Cocoa powder, the man’s voice confesses. 

Yeah?

Unsweetened.

“That’s a lot of wives,” Buck agrees.

“Between him and Randall, what’s become of the state of the American family,” his father huffs.

What the hell? 

“The American family?” Buck asks, frowning.

Uh…

In the cabinet above the sink. One tablespoon.

In his brain, he gets a flash of a series of cupboards he’s never seen before. He blinks, keeping his eyes on the road. He slows his speed, pissing off the BMW behind him. What is going on with him?

“Yeah,” his father says. “You know what I mean. Family values. Sticking to your marriage. All of that. People are getting lazy.”

Buck has to hold back from rolling his eyes. 

Uh, so, hey, what happened after Wyoming?

Wyoming? Neither conversation, internal or external, is making any sense. Buck just wants to drive safely. 

“Divorce is lazy?” Buck asks. “That seems harsh.”

I don't know. Seems like we keep running into dead ends no matter which direction we turn. I'm running out of ideas and I think my wife might be running out of patience.

“I can tell you right now, neither of those men or their wives went through what your mother and I have been through,” his father says. “And we didn’t give up on each other.”

Right. 

They just gave up on their kids. Much better display of family values.

Well, there's an answer out there and you're gonna find it.

Buck sighs.

“Sorry, Evan, am I boring you?” His father asks. 

You seem pretty sure of that.

“Nope,” Buck says. “No. I’m fine. Just looking forward to getting to the city.”

Hey, come on. You always helped me figure things out.

Mmm. Like this chili.

Buck really wishes he was stuck in this Jeep with chili guy instead. 

The conversation in his head, and the one with his father, seem to end around the same time he crosses the Pennsylvania-Maryland state line. At that point, Buck starts to feel a little ill. Sweaty. Achy. 

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Vampire Bobby, what are you going to do now?

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

18 for 🩸:

---

When Bobby first detects Buck’s presence in the cemetery, he is a starving, ragged, animalistic thing. He is weakened. He is losing himself. He is becoming more and more desperate to kill. To drink. To feast on another life force. 

His canines have extended into long, sensitive fangs that no longer retract. He slips into rageful fits, cracking the stone walls of the mausoleum with his mere fists. In the early morning, he nearly darts out of hiding to murder a groundskeeper. He’s not sure what stops him, honestly. The grace of God perhaps. A God he can no longer pray to. He’s tried. The name burns in his throat. 

The point is, his first catch of Buck’s scent does something strange to him. It’s like Athena in that he knows right away who it is. And he feels some sort of strange possessiveness about him. Though, he’s even more sure than before if he came close to him, he’d kill him. 

[epicbuddieficrecs]

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼

21 for 🔼:

---

Kindly. Explains that he’s not comfortable. That he may be trying for a baby of his own soon, and wouldn’t want the two to conflict. Might not be true, but hey. He also provides them with the info for the sperm bank Hen and Karen used, as well as their positive review of the place. 

They accept his answer, albeit sadly. He imagines their friendship won’t rekindle. 

When he comes home from the meeting with Connor and Kameron, he finds Chris at the kitchen table, doing homework on his computer. It’s strange for him not to be doing it at the desk in his room.

“Hey, buddy. Where is everyone?” Buck asks him. 

“Mom’s not home from work yet,” he says. “Dad’s giving Jane a bath because she spilled juice all over herself.”

“Oof,” Buck winces. 

“Hey, where are you from?” Chris asks. “Like your family?”

“Pennsylvania,” Buck answers. “Hershey, remember? Like the chocolate.”

[epicbuddieficrecs]

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼

For whenever you have time

24 for 🔼:

---

“Oh,” Buck blinks, surprised. “Well, uh… My mom’s family has been in Pennsylvania for a really long time. They descended from indentured servants immigrating from Germany in the 1700s.”

“Really?” Chris asks.

Buck nods. “Yep. And my dad’s parents were from Brighton, in England.”

“Can you help me write about that?” Chris asks.

“Sure,” Buck replies, confused. “For what?”

“I have to do a report on my family’s history for social studies class,” Christopher says. “Dad already told me his stuff. So I just have to add Mom and you.”

Buck thinks he loses feeling in his body, he’s so caught off guard. 

“You’re adding me?” He asks. 

Chris frowns, like this is a stupid question.

“Yeah?”

“Oh,” Buck exhales. 

Christopher’s expression flickers with insecurity. “Uh, do you think I shouldn’t? I won’t, if you don’t want me to. My teacher said I could.”

[epicbuddieficrecs]

🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍

24 for 🔍:

---

His phone starts buzzing with notifications in his jean pocket. Not one or two but dozens. Over and over and over again. 

“Whoa,” his father observes. “What’s going on there, Evan? Is someone trying to call you?”

He asks this like the idea is absurd.

“I-I don’t know…” Buck struggles. “M-maybe?”

The buzzing persists. It’s distracting him. 

He takes the second exit after the state line and pulls into a gas station parking lot. 

“What’s going on?” His father asks.

“I just… I need a minute.”

He feels like he can’t breathe. 

Buck kills the engine of the Jeep, unbuckles his seatbelt, and stumbles out of the vehicle. He takes a big gulp of fresh air as he pulls his phone from his pocket. Breathing feels different right now. He’s not sure why. 

His phone screen is cluttered with notifications. Missed calls and texts from numbers he doesn’t have saved.

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Can we see 1k of ☣️ ?

I can do 500!

---

Athena raises an eyebrow. Like she’s saying don’t you dare give me that. 

“Yes, I certainly did,” she replies. “I want someone with at least a little bit of medical training to look at him, and it was either Eddie or your sister. There’s no one else we can trust.”

Buck huffs. “Athena, I know we can trust him. I don’t want to get him involved in all this.”

Athena purses her lips. “Honey, he’s already involved.”

“He could get hurt. This is dangerous.”

“Buck,” Athena says gently. “He’s a fire captain. He’s done two tours of duty. He has a medal of valor and a silver star. He’s an asset to us. He can handle himself.”

“But-”

“He’s on his way,” Athena tells him. “And he deserves to know.”

Well, that’s true. He does. They all do. But… Buck’s not wrong either. It’s dangerous. 

“Ravi wants to call his parents,” Buck says. “We have to decide who to tell. Eddie can handle himself, but Maddie can’t right now.”

“You don’t want to tell your sister her husband is alive?” Athena asks.

“What if we can’t… What if we fail?” Buck asks. “It’d be like killing him twice.”

“I know,” Athena says. “I’m thinking the same thing. But I’m still glad I know, Buck.”

“Maddie isn’t as strong as you right now,” he whispers.

Athena looks very sad. 

“Yes, she is,” Athena chides. “She’s exactly as strong as either of us, Buck. She’s still alive.”

▪️▪️▪️

By the time Eddie arrives, food has been delivered and Ravi is showered and changed. Eddie walks into the house, doesn’t even seem to see Buck - a relief, honestly - and makes a beeline straight for Ravi. They hug tightly.

“I didn’t actually fully believe it when Athena called,” Eddie says, pulling back from the hug and looking him over. “Holy shit, Ravi. It is so good to see you.”

Ravi smiles. “It’s really good to see you, too. What the hell is on your face, though, man?”

Eddie snorts. “Really? You’re back from the dead and your main concern is my facial hair?”

“I wouldn’t have guessed it either,” Ravi admits.

“Let’s eat,” Athena interrupts their reunion. “The four of us have a lot to discuss.”

Eddie nods. “You said the others are alive, too?” 

There’s a hint of fear in his voice. Like believing it is too scary. Buck understands. Buck feels the same way. 

“As far as Ravi knows,” Athena confirms. 

Eddie looks at Ravi.

“I haven’t been able to sense them since we got far enough away from where they’re being held,” Ravi says. “But they were all alive earlier today.”

[epicbuddieficrecs]

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼

24 for 🔼:

---

“No, you can!” Buck amends quickly. “I’m really honored you want to, Chris.”

Chris shrugs, like it’s nothing.

“It’s not just blood family,” he explains. “That wouldn’t be fair to every student.”

“Right,” Buck replies. He’s missing why Buck is so touched. Maybe because it seems obvious to him, in a way it doesn’t to Buck. “Well, thank you. That makes me feel good.”

Chris smiles. “You’re welcome.”

“I’m gonna go say hi to your dad and sister, then I’ll come back and we can write it up together?” Buck suggests. 

Chris nods. “Okay. Thanks, Buck.”

“My pleasure. Love you, Chris.”

“Love you, too.”

Eyes stinging, Buck walks down the hall towards Jane’s bedroom. Eddie is changing her into a clean set of clothes. Her hair is wet at the ends.

[epicbuddieficrecs]

☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼

🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎🔎

🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽🪽

54 for ☣️:

---

“Sense them?” Eddie asks. “What does that mean?”

“Like I said,” Athena reminds him. “There’s a lot to discuss.”

▪️▪️▪️

They eat and fill Eddie in. Or Ravi and Athena fill Eddie in, more accurately. Buck hardly speaks. He hardly looks at Eddie. He answers only what he needs to and focuses mainly on his food. He’s still upset that Eddie is here. He doesn’t need to be in this. Being in this kills people’s souls. It killed Buck’s. So Eddie should quit his stupid traitor job and take Chris and go back to Texas where it’s safe. 

Eventually, Eddie has all the information Buck and Athena have. He looks grim.

“So they’re being tortured?” He asks. “Bobby, Hen, and Chim. They’re being tortured right now.”

Athena’s jaw tightens.

“Experimented on?” Eddie continues. 

“Yeah,” Ravi replies. 

“And you only don’t look like a victim of torture because of Buck?” Eddie asks.

“Well… I think I’m still a little skeletal, but sure,” Ravi confirms.

Absently, Eddie looks at the spot on his arm that Buck healed.

“Shit,” he sighs. 

“Precisely,” Athena replies flatly.

“How are we getting them out?” Eddie asks. 

“Unclear so far,” Athena says. “I think before we decide that, we need to choose who we’re telling. Ravi, I know you want to call your parents.”

Ravi nods. “They need to know I’m not dead.”

“Karen and Maddie,” Eddie says. “Albert. The Lees. Unless you’ve already called them.”

Buck looks down. 

“We haven’t,” Athena says. 

“Why not?” Eddie asks. “Why call me before their wives?” 

Athena looks at Buck.

“Buck?” Eddie asks. “Why?”

“Well,” Buck sighs. “I didn’t think we should even call you.”

---

30 for 🩸:

---

Bobby is so out of his mind that he can’t help but get closer. Whatever self-possession kept him from going after Athena has been whittled away by days of starvation. He creeps out of the mausoleum. He ignores the way the sun makes his skin writhe, his bones ache, his mouth dry. He walks towards Buck, standing in the shadow of a tree not far off. There is warring love and bloodlust in him; that’s his boy, who is not a boy at all, and he wants to protect him from a body that wants to murder him. 

“I don’t know what to do, Bobby,” Buck is speaking to Bobby’s grave. It’s been cleaned since he ruined it. All evidence of his traumatic rebirth has been erased. 

The sound of Buck’s voice sort of lulls Bobby. Like his instincts are able to be numbed by his humanity - what’s left of it - just for a moment. 

“What if Eddie ruins his life and relationship with Chris because he’s worried about me? What if Chim just… What if he gets like my parents, and can’t move forward? He’s struggling so much.” 

Bobby’s chest feels heavy with grief, instead of hollow with hunger. 

“Maddie’s about to have another baby. What if Ravi quits? What if they give your job to Gerrard instead of Hen? That’s the fight the department is having right now, and… And if they do, the 118, the way it was, Bobby it dies with you. Last time was bad, but this… I just know it will.”

This isn’t good. This really isn’t good. He’s been too distracted by his own misery, locked in a tomb, to think of the world above him. They’re all suffering too. And badly, it seems. He watches Buck wipe tears from his eyes, and he aches for him. 

“You would say, only focus on the things in my control. What can I actually do?

---

60 for 🔼:

---

“You found out Chris is adding you to his report?” He guesses.

Buck tears up. “Can we frame it?”

Eddie grins. “I knew you’d get all sappy.”

“He’s the best,” Buck says. “Like, the best.”

“He is,” Eddie agrees.

“Hi, Jane,” Buck says to the toddler squirming free from Eddie to run over for a hug from Buck. He lifts her up into his arms. “How are you?”

“Good, Daddy!” She chirps sweetly.

Buck looks at Eddie. 

“Okay, are you paying them to be like this today?” Buck asks.

Eddie chuckles, raising his hands in a show of innocence. “Nope. Just how they feel.”

Buck squeezes Jane and presses a kiss to her baby-fat cheek. 

“I love you so much,” he tells her. 

“Love you,” she replies in a sing-songy voice. 

Eddie looks triumphant. Oh, that ass. He thinks this will convince Buck a third baby wouldn’t be totally awesome. He’s dead wrong. Give Buck eight of these. Okay, well… One. Give him one more. 

“Your evil plan isn’t working,” Buck tells Eddie.

“Evil plan?” Eddie scoffs. 

“Evil,” Jane parrots, testing the word out in her mouth. It sounds more like evo. 

“Yes, Jane. He has an evil plan,” Buck tells his stepdaughter. “But don’t worry. You’re so cute, it foils it.”

Eddie rolls his eyes. 

“Alright, Buck.”

But he’s smiling.

ii.

Part of Shannon thinks that maybe Eddie is right. Maybe six months will pass and she will no longer want another baby. Baby fever is a passing affliction. Right? One of her coworkers has four King Charles Cavalier Spaniels at home. She and her husband routinely joke about being tempted by puppy fever, but both ultimately agree they’re at their limit. Maybe it’s like that! That would be the easiest outcome for her, right? To wake up one day and not want a baby at all. To not want to get pregnant again. 

It doesn’t shake out that way. 

By New Years, Shannon doesn’t feel any differently. Buck doesn’t feel any differently. Shannon has no idea if Eddie feels differently. He hasn’t said anything more about it.

Their plan is to talk about it in April. April. Four months away. The wait is going to kill her.

A few important things all happen right around New Years. A few things that will change things for Shannon. Even if she doesn’t know it at the time. 

---

Not quite 33 for 🔎 because the chapter is over:

---

Alerts from social media apps he doesn’t have downloaded. Or, at least, he didn’t… He can see them on his home screen now. The notifications keep buzzing and buzzing and buzzing for what feels like minutes, until eventually, they come to a sudden stop. Like his phone has reached its capacity for disruption. 

Buck scrolls through the wall of alerts, overwhelmed. Some of them are dated as far back as eleven months ago. He checks his carrier. It hasn’t changed. Why would he have just not received these for so long? It doesn’t make any sense. He receives other messages. And what makes apps download themselves and log themselves in? To accounts he hasn’t ever created, too! 

Unsure where to begin, Buck clicks the newest notification. It’s from Instagram, dated four days ago.

@itschimney has tagged you in a post

Buck doesn’t know who that is, but he opens the post anyway. And what he sees makes bile rise so high it burns the soft tissue at the back of his throat. 

It’s a missing persons poster.

And it’s of his face. 

Eleven months and we’re still looking for you, brother, the caption reads. If anyone has any information that could help bring Buck home, please, please, please contact the Los Angeles Police. 

[epicbuddieficrecs]

🩸🩸🩸🩸🩸🔍🔍🔍🔍🔍

15 for 🩸:

---

Buck is right. That is what Bobby would say. When he was living and sane and needed to breathe.

“I don’t know yet, I guess,” Buck continues. “Nothing about the Gerrard shit, it seems. No one cares how terrible he is.”

Buck stops talking, like he’s waiting for an answer. Like he knows Bobby is listening. And he’s quiet for such a stretch, that Bobby worries he’s been discovered. 

“Yeah,” Buck finally breaks the quiet. “I guess this is what I was worried about. There aren’t really any good answers.”

If Bobby needed to use his lungs, he’d sigh with relief. 

He can’t let Buck see him. Not like this.

---

15 for 🔍:

---

Buck thinks he might be in danger. If not danger, then at least some sort of trouble. 

Why else would he be a missing person?

And why can’t he remember any of this? He doesn’t even know who this person calling him brother is. 

Is Buck really missing? Was he taken? Did he run? Is he hiding? And most pressing, what kind of life is he missing from, where people would actually look for him? 

Buck has very little time to process. To assess his current level of safety. 

His father is in the Jeep, waiting for him. His father… Does he know?

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Damn Cal you’re on a roll today! Unfortunately I am very much an “if you give a mouse a cookie” type girl and am therefore back to ask for more :p sorry if the goal was to clean out your inbox but if that’s the case then maybe you should try being less insanely talented?

I’ll still keep it to shorter chunks in honor of your upcoming second trip (also glad to hear you had a good time on your first trip and I hope the second is at least as good if not better!)

☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️ (you should know I will be committing murders at Netch-Co alongside athena and buck. The plan is to rescue bobby hen and chim, decapitate a whole bunch of evil science folks, and then witness all the beautiful fire fam reunion moments with tears in my eyes. Also fascinated by ravi’s power - got some half formed thoughts about it and buck’s power too. Can’t wait to learn what the rest of the powers are to add to those thoughts!)

And some more presents as payment for my demands!

🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁🎁 (free for all! Whatever you want to write!)

You’re the absolute best Cal!

- PCA <3

Hahahaha thank you! You are always so kind!

30 for ☣️ (Excellent, join the murder squad!!!):

---

Eddie raises an eyebrow. “Gee, thanks.”

Ravi frowns, surprised by the hint of animosity. Well, maybe Ravi will understand when he hears about Eddie’s new job. Ravi will take his side on this. For sure. 

“Not because…” Buck huffs. “That’s not why. I just… If we fail, and then they get hope, only to have it crushed again, then that kind of makes us dicks.”

Ravi’s expression crumples. “You’re right. I can’t do that to my parents.”

“We’re not being dicks,” Eddie protests. “We’re being honest. If… If I was in their position with someone I loved that way, I’d want to know. I’m glad I know it about my friends.”

“I agree with Eddie,” Athena says. “Besides, I think we need Karen’s help.”

Buck nods. “O-okay. I can see that.”

She is pretty much a genius, after all. 

“So you just don’t want Maddie to know?” Athena asks skeptically.

“Again, I also didn’t want Eddie to know,” Buck clarifies.

Eddie rolls his eyes. 

“I’m okay with waiting to tell my parents until it’s safe,” Ravi says sadly. “I think that’s for the best.”

---

24 for 🎁 - will be my secret fic because I'm finding it hard ish to write and may need to turn it into a regular not secret emoji fic for motivation haha:

---

Eddie gives the attendant his information and waits through the whole song and dance as they try to locate his lost bag. They do. But it’s not exactly ideal. 

“I’m really sorry,” the attendant says. “It’s still in El Paso. The airline is going to have it expressed shipped, though, so-”

“Seriously?” Eddie interrupts. He’s got the tone of a PTA mom who just found out the school is teaching some new and disruptive curriculum. “The airline changed their carry-on policy, made me check the bag, and then lost it?”

The attendant looks uncomfortable. 

“I’m really sorry,” they say again. “They’re going to send it to you. A day or two, max.”

“I don’t have a day or two!” Eddie snaps. “That bag has the suit I need to wear to my captain’s funeral!” 

The attendant’s face drops.

“Oh god. I’m… I’m so sorry.”

“What am I going to do?” Eddie demands. “Show up in jeans?”

[epicbuddieficrecs]

Can I get max buddieshannon please

Yesss! 500 for throuple:

---

The first is that Maddie and Chimney move into their new house. The fixer upper. Or, as Maddie lamentingly calls it on occasion, the murder house. Shannon thinks it’s probably not the house’s fault that people died inside it, but what does she know? Of all the people in her social circle, she works the least with death. She’d like to keep it that way. 

The first thing leads to the second; which is that Chimney suckers his friends into free labor. He somehow convinced Buck, Eddie, Hen, and Bobby into going over to help him with the flooring on one of their precious off days. Shannon is quite glad she’s not considered among the handy or strong people he knows. Pays not to be a firefighter, sometimes. 

The third thing alters the second. Eddie sprains his wrist. It’s not bad. It won’t even impact him for more than a week or so. But it does mean he probably shouldn’t go help with Maddie and Chim’s home renovations. 

“I mean, I could still be helpful,” Eddie reasons. 

Shannon gives him a look. “Or you could injure yourself worse.”

“You sound like me,” Buck tells him. 

Eddie winces. In this particular moment, that’s not a compliment. 

“You don’t need to help, Eddie. You’re injured,” Shannon reminds him. 

“It’s your sister,” Eddie says to Buck. Then he turns to Shannon. “And your best friend.”

“Nah,” Buck waves it off. “She didn’t even want Chim to rope us into this.”

“I think she’d still prefer it if professionals did it,” Shannon adds.

Eddie relents. 

“Well, then yeah. I’ll stay home, if that’s the case.” 

So, Eddie and Shannon have a day without Buck, which then also turns into a day without Chris, who begs for a sleepover at a friend’s house. Which means, since Jane goes to bed rather early still, thankfully, Shannon and Eddie more or less have an evening to themselves. Not a common occurrence. Would be even rarer if they have another kid, she knows. 

The third thing, Eddie’s sprained wrist, leads to a fourth thing; red wine. A dangerous pastime for Shannon and Eddie, but a cherished one. They drink wine, they talk, and then they historically have sex. Usually pretty good sex, too. Though, Shannon just assumes tonight will be an exception to that rule. There are several reasons for this. First, the sprained wrist. Kind of a buzzkill for poor Eddie. Second, if Shannon is being honest, the way she and Eddie have been intimate has changed a fair amount since they went from two people to three.

[epicbuddieficrecs]

☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️☣️

So excited about this one!!!

21 for ☣️:

---

“See?” Buck says. “Sensible. Kind, even.”

Now it’s Athena’s turn to roll her eyes. 

“Ravi, you’re safe now,” Athena promises. “We aren’t letting you go back there, okay?”

Ravi frowns. “I think you need me to.”

Because he’s the only one who can easily reach them. Right. Buck swallows heavily. They probably will have to ask Ravi to teleport back into that place, if it means saving the others. As shitty as it is, it’s true.

“You don’t have to,” Eddie says. “You’ve been through hell.”

“Yes, I do,” Ravi says. “They’d do it for me.”

Yeah, they would. Any one of them would. And everyone at this table knows it. 

[epicbuddieficrecs]

max for 🩸!!!!!! so excited to see vampires back

Not sure if it'll be quiite max, but it'll get us to the end of the chapter!

---

“Sorry,” Buck continues. “I didn’t come here just to complain. Uh, also… I guess I just wanted to say I miss you. A lot. I’ll always miss you. I wish you were still here. But I hope… I hope you’re with your kids.”

And at that, Bobby can’t help but cry. Warm, thick blood, disgusting blood, pours from his eyes. Draining him of a resource he badly needs. He isn’t with his kids. He’d thought that too; that if he didn’t get to be with his family here on earth, he could be with his family in heaven. But no. No, he’s alone and miserable and a monster. He’s separated from all of them. And if he is what he thinks he is, there is no end date on that. 

“Okay. Bye… For now. I’ll, um… I’ll probably come back, if you don’t mind. Bye, Bobby.”

Come back? Bobby can’t tell if that’s wonderful or horrible. If hearing his voice is worth the pain of hearing his grief, of not being able to interact with him. 

Bobby watches Buck walk away, and he feels like the sight might kill him. Panic coils in him like barbed wire. He feels horrendous guilt and protectiveness and sadness. 

They’re all miserable. Everyone he loves left in the world is miserable. He’s miserable. Everything is horrible. Everything is ruined. It would have been better if he had died. 

You would say, only focus on the things in my control. What can I actually do?

Buck’s words ring true in his head. That is the advice he would give. That is the advice he has been given. In AA. Hundreds of times. So what can he do? He has no control over what he is. What his body needs. What it’s craving. He has control over what he does about that, until he doesn’t. He knows if he keeps starving himself, he’ll lose control.

What if Eddie ruins his life and relationship with Chris because he’s worried about me? What if Chim just… What if he gets like my parents, and can’t move forward? He’s struggling so much. Maddie’s about to have another baby. What if Ravi quits? What if they give your job to Gerrard instead of Hen? That’s the fight the department is having right now, and… And if they do, the 118, the way it was, Bobby it dies with you.

There’s not much he can control about everyone else’s misery. He’s powerless. He can’t even relieve his own wife of her grief. But there is one problem he can solve. Something he can perhaps do to help. To ease their suffering and give himself more control.

He can kill Vincent Gerrard.

[epicbuddieficrecs]

🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼

🙃🙃🙃🙃 I’m currently obsessed with it

Thank you!

45 for 🔼:

---

If anything, it’s an expansive thing. They’ve opened themselves up to more than the classic interpretation of sex as a married couple. Eddie has really discovered what he likes, and that’s not always to be the one… Well, doing the penetrating. So it’s sort of changed for them. If she’s going to have sex that way, it’s usually Buck. 

All this to say, Shannon isn’t expecting this night to end up the way it might have once ended up. 

But she’s wrong. 

She’s wrong, and one glass of wine leads to two. Two glasses of wine turns chatting on the couch with her legs stretched over his lap to kissing on the couch, straddling him. Which leads to them having sex like teenagers, right there in the living room. Giggly and buzzed and caught up in the heat of the moment. Eddie is one-handed and a bit clumsy, but it’s really nice. 

“I love you,” he tells her after. “I’m so glad things have been so good lately. That we’ve been… The best we’ve been.”

It’s the closest they’ve come to talking about it again, since she’d promised they could wait. And even then, they’re not really talking about it. 

“Me too,” she whispers, kissing his neck. “I love you, too.”

“Do you know what we should do?” He asks. 

“Drink more wine?” Shannon asks. 

“Mmm, yes.”

“Call Buck and tell him to come home and drink wine?”

He kisses her. 

“Yes. That.”

And that sort of leads to the fifth thing. 

🔼

Buck is in the middle of a pizza and beer break, very done with grouting physically and emotionally, when his phone starts to ring with an incoming call. 

“Who’s calling?” Chim asks. 

“Eddie,” Buck answers, looking at his phone screen.

“Wow,” Chim replies. “Surprised he can operate a phone in his condition.”

Hen snorts.

Buck rolls his eyes and answers the call. 

“Hey, you,” he says. 

“Buck!” Eddie’s voice, over a distinct crackle which means he must have the phone on speaker, booms in his ear. 

Jesus. 

“Hey,” Buck says. “Everything okay?”